Introduction: basal cell carcinoma is the most common malignant tumor, which accounts for approximately 75 or 80 % of all non-melanoma skin cancer in whites. Studies concerning this issue at the northern care area of Ciego de Avila are lacked. Objective: to characterize clinically and epidemiologically all patients with basal cell carcinoma attended in the maxillofacial surgery service at the Hospital Provincial Docente “Roberto Rodríguez Fernández”, Morón, Ciego de Ávila, Cuba, from January 2019 to January 2020. Method: a cross-sectional descriptive observational study was conducted in 118 patients with this diagnosis, where the variables studied were as follow: age, sex, the anatomical location of tumor, predisposing factors, clinical forms of tumor and its clinical stage. Results: male sex (60.2%) and age group 60-74 years (51.7%) were predominant. Nodular clinical form was present in 44.1% of the total, with a higher incidence in the nasal region (39.8%). The predisposing factor in 97% of the cases was white or pink skin. The population studied was mostly in clinical stage II (43.2%). Conclusions: family pathological history, sun exposure and white or pink skin have a marked influence on the appearance of basal cell carcinoma, which allows an adequate diagnosis of the disease, as well as the development of health promotion and prevention activities for these predisposing factors.

Introduction: it recently began the training of professionals in a new modality of Programas Técnico Superior de Ciclo Corto (Short Cycle Superior Technical Programs) in the Clinical Neurophysiology specialty, at the Universidad de Ciencias Médicas de Holguín, attending to the high incidence of neurological diseases, such as spinocerebellar ataxia type 2, which constitutes a serious health problem in Cuba. This is an elective course program that addresses this topic and contributes to the knowledge of this disease, in order to improve research and possible treatments. Objective: to design an elective course program on diagnosis and physical-therapeutic intervention in the prodromal phase of spinocerebellar ataxia type 2 for first year Clinical Neurophysiology students at the ¨Arides Estévez Sánchez¨ School of Nursing in Holguín. Method: a methodological didactic research was carried out using the empirical methods: observation; theoretical: historical-logical, documentary study, dialectical; analysis-synthesis and induction-deduction. Results: a program was proposed for an optional course, based on the search for scientific information and empirical methods, which was structured in four themes, in face-to-face modality and with a duration of 24 hours. The contents were presented by themes, objectives, essential knowledge to acquire, main skills to master and evaluation system. Conclusions: the application of this program contributes to developing skills in training professionals, in the knowledge of the prodromal phase of this disease.

Introduction: during the COVID-19 pandemic, new safety measures were implemented in all sectors. However, the Maxillofacial Surgery specialty kept on, where emergency patients were not left unattended. Objective: to characterize the maxillofacial emergencies attended at the Hospital Clínico Quirúrgico Docente "Celia Sánchez Manduley" in Manzanillo, during the COVID-19 related epidemiological situation. Methods: an observational, descriptive, and cross-sectional study was applied on 358 patients in the period between September 2020 and April 2021. The variables studied were as follow: age groups, sex, month when patients were attended, maxillofacial emergency´s motive, therapeutic behavior and patients with COVID-19 related symptoms. Results: the most affected age group was = 60 (22.6%), with predominance in male sex (54.2%). Most patients were attended in November and December (20.3%), the predominated maxillofacial emergencies were those associated to maxillofacial trauma (31.8%), followed by facial cellulitis (23.7%). In terms of treatment, the highest percentage of conservative treatment was associated with the medicamentation (88.3 %), while wound suturing practice predominated in surgical treatment (18.2 %). The symptom with the highest incidence was fever (3.4 %). The 61.5 % of the maxillofacial surgeons were infected with COVID-19. Conclusions: maxillofacial emergencies are more frequent in males; maxillofacial trauma and facial cellulitis predominate. The maxillofacial surgery service is vulnerable to the coronavirus infection.

Introduction: esophageal cancer is a leading cause of cancer-related illness that has been described for two thousand years and currently set at the eighth place in incidence worldwide. Objective: to describe the clinical-histological features in patients with esophageal cancer at the Guido Valadares National Hospital in Timor-Leste. Method: an observational-descriptive and retrospective study was conducted in 106 patients with esophageal cancer related endoscopic and histological diagnosis. All of them attended in the Endoscopy Unit at the Gastroenterology service, from June 2016 to May 2021. Variables such as age group, sex and other risk factors like (clinical manifestations, the onset of symptom, location, endoscopic type and histological type) were analyzed. Results: esophageal cancer was more frequent in male aged 60 and older (65.1%). Smoking and alcohol intake were the predominant risk factors (64.2% and 57.5%, respectively). Most of cases were diagnosed between 3 and 6 months after the onset of symptoms, with dysphagia as the main reason for consultation (98.1%). From the endoscopic point of view, polypoid mass or vegetating lesions found in the middle third of the esophagus predominated (45.3%), with squamous cell carcinoma as the most frequent histological type. Conclusions: study of clinical-histological features in patients with esophageal cancer allows an adequate diagnostic approach to this illness, as well as the development of preventive health actions on the main risk factors identified.

Introduction: basal cell carcinoma is the most common malignant tumor, which accounts for approximately 75 or 80 % of all non-melanoma skin cancer in whites. Studies concerning this issue at the northern care area of Ciego de Avila are lacked. Objective: to characterize clinically and epidemiologically all patients with basal cell carcinoma attended in the maxillofacial surgery service at the Hospital Provincial Docente “Roberto Rodríguez Fernández”, Morón, Ciego de Ávila, Cuba, from January 2019 to January 2020. Method: a cross-sectional descriptive observational study was conducted in 118 patients with this diagnosis, where the variables studied were as follow: age, sex, the anatomical location of tumor, predisposing factors, clinical forms of tumor and its clinical stage. Results: male sex (60.2%) and age group 60-74 years (51.7%) were predominant. Nodular clinical form was present in 44.1% of the total, with a higher incidence in the nasal region (39.8%). The predisposing factor in 97% of the cases was white or pink skin. The population studied was mostly in clinical stage II (43.2%). Conclusions: family pathological history, sun exposure and white or pink skin have a marked influence on the appearance of basal cell carcinoma, which allows an adequate diagnosis of the disease, as well as the development of health promotion and prevention activities for these predisposing factors.

Introduction: basal cell carcinoma is the most common malignant tumor, which accounts for approximately 75 or 80 % of all non-melanoma skin cancer in whites. Studies concerning this issue at the northern care area of Ciego de Avila are lacked. Objective: to characterize clinically and epidemiologically all patients with basal cell carcinoma attended in the maxillofacial surgery service at the Hospital Provincial Docente “Roberto Rodríguez Fernández”, Morón, Ciego de Ávila, Cuba, from January 2019 to January 2020. Method: a cross-sectional descriptive observational study was conducted in 118 patients with this diagnosis, where the variables studied were as follow: age, sex, the anatomical location of tumor, predisposing factors, clinical forms of tumor and its clinical stage. Results: male sex (60.2%) and age group 60-74 years (51.7%) were predominant. Nodular clinical form was present in 44.1% of the total, with a higher incidence in the nasal region (39.8%). The predisposing factor in 97% of the cases was white or pink skin. The population studied was mostly in clinical stage II (43.2%). Conclusions: family pathological history, sun exposure and white or pink skin have a marked influence on the appearance of basal cell carcinoma, which allows an adequate diagnosis of the disease, as well as the development of health promotion and prevention activities for these predisposing factors.

Introduction: keratoplasty has been the most used technique for the treatment of corneal alterations. Objective: to describe the clinical-epidemiological characteristics of therapeutic keratoplasty in patients with severe corneal ulcer. Method: a descriptive and cross-sectional observational study was carried out on 17 eyes of 16 patients operated on for therapeutic keratoplasty who presented severe corneal ulcer, admitted to the Ophthalmology service of the Hospital “Dr. Juan Bruno Zayas Alfonso” in Santiago de Cuba, in the period from January 2018 to December 2019. The variables studied were: age, gender, origin, occupation, predisposing factors, time of evolution prior to admission, previous topical treatment and causal germ. In the statistical analysis, the absolute frequency and the percentage were used for the qualitative variables, and for the quantitative ones, the mean and the standard deviation. Results: male patients predominated, retired with more than 60 years. Non-surgical ocular trauma prevailed as a predisposing factor. Prior to admission, antibiotic eye drops were applied more frequently, and the average evolution time was 12.2 days. The most preponderant group of germs was bacteria. Conclusions: the link between the causal germ and the application of previous topical medications in a prolonged manner favors the torpid evolution of the disease towards severe forms of corneal ulcer. This evolution offers a poor and prolonged response to conventional treatment schemes, which sometimes lead to a therapeutic-tectonic keratoplasty.

Introduction: since ancient times, breast cancer has been studied. It is current the most important invasive neoplasm in women and considered the leading cause of cancer deaths in women worldwide. Objective: to assess the ultrasound, mammographic and histopathological correlation for the diagnosis of breast cancer in Guantanamo province. Method: an observational, descriptive, and retrospective study was conducted in 140 patients during the period 2010-2015 at the Hospital General Docente "Dr. Agostinho Neto" in Guantánamo. The primary information was obtained from the Provincial Registry Database of Cancer with the diagnosis of malignant breast tumor. Results: the highest incidence of the disease was recorded in patients 45 plus years of age (80%), the average age at diagnosis was 57 ± 15 years. The left breast was more frequently affected than the right breast (53% vs. 46%), it was not common for both breasts be affected synchronously (less than 1%). The 53% of patients presented a lesion with a speculated appearance on mammography, solid appearance on ultrasound. This lesion, as per histology criteria, it corresponded to an infiltrating ductal carcinoma. Conclusions: there is a correlation between ultrasound, mammographic diagnoses and the breast cancer related definitive histopathological diagnosis.

Introduction: leptospirosis is one of the endemic zoonoses in Cuba, causing human, animal and economic losses, making it a significant health problem. Rats are a very remarkable vector. Experimental work to study fetal renal alterations in the Wistar rats has not been carried out in Cuba. Objective: to identify the main renal morphometric alterations in fetuses of Wistar rats infected with serovar Leptospira canicola, at the Universidad de Ciencias Médicas de Pinar del Rio in the period between 2017-2019. Method: an experimental study was carried out in pregnant Wistar rats: 2 groups with three animals each: the experimental group with a dose of bacterial concentration of 300 million leptospires per milliliter; 1 ml was inoculated to each one, infecting them with strains of Leptospira canicola. The kidneys of fetuses extracted by cesarean section were studied, and the variables: renal length and kidney weight were analyzed. Results: the results obtained confirmed kidney damage caused by Leptospira canicola both in the major and minor axis of both kidneys, as well as variations in the weight of the infected pups. Conclusions: leptospiral infection in pregnant Wistar rats causes alterations in the kidneys of the fetuses, bringing changes in the morphometry of both the major and minor axes, as well as in the body weight of the fetus, which leads to a decrease in renal weight.

Introduction: cardiovascular disease in women is undervalued as a health problem. Among the therapeutic options is cardiac rehabilitation, which contributes to the reduction of morbidity and mortality and hospitalization in both genders. Objective: to evaluate the initial behavior and the results of a cardiac rehabilitation program in patients attended in the Rehabilitación Cardiaca (Cardiac Rehabilitation) department of the Cardiology service of the Hospital General Docente “Dr. Agostinho Neto”, from Guantanamo, during the period 2015-2019. Method: a descriptive, prospective and longitudinal study was carried out. The population was made up of 667 patients enrolled in the Cardiac Rehabilitation Program (CRP). Risk factors, ergometric parameters given by exercise time, heart rate, blood pressure, and functional class were studied. A rehabilitation program was applied that included physical-aerobic and resistance exercises, evaluations were carried out through ergometric tests, and serum lipids at the beginning and at 6 months. Results: there is a different risk profile between both genders; obesity is the most prevalent risk factor in females (62.9%) and active smoking in males (78.0%). The improvement in physical capacity was greater in men than in women. The parameters used to improve the participation and adherence of women to the program are exposed. Conclusions: women have great barriers to the incorporation into cardiac rehabilitation programs. It is necessary to offer them information about their benefits to improve access and permanence in the program.